Back during the summer of 2018, Volkswagen broke the record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb by a whole 16 seconds with its I.D. R electric prototype. Now, it sounds like the German automaker is looking to cash in on that cachet by slapping special edition badges tipping its cap to the deadly Colorado race on passenger cars.
Brought to our attention via VWVortex, Volkswagen has filed a U.S. trademark for “Peak Edition” in relation to “Automobiles; Engines for land vehicles; Automotive interior trim; Insignia for vehicles.” Translation: Peak Edition-trim VWs may be in the pipeline. Granted, the Pikes Peak connection is, technically, speculation. The “Peak” in Peak Edition could, for all we know, be a reference to mountain tops (for a rugged, special-ed Atlas or something) or a tongue-in-cheek moniker about how this is the most special of all special editions.
As for which model, or models, of Volkswagen will get a Peak Edition, it’s anybody’s guess. It would make more sense for it to be applied to VW’s upcoming slew of I.D.-branded electric cars since the Pikes Peak record was broken by the daddy of all I.D.-branded electric cars. But considering most of the time special editions like this don’t come with many mechanical changes, we wouldn’t put it past VW to slap it on the gas-only Jetta or something.
If you ask us, buying a special edition car that references a record that will pretty likely prove temporary is a questionable move, to say the least. Yes, the I.D. R is very fast but it’s only a matter of time before somebody else goes faster. That’s kind of how records work. At that point, owning a Peak Edition Tiguan would feel more than a little silly.
The Drive reached out to Volkswagen to ask whether this trademark really is a reference to Pikes Peak, but a VW spokesperson declined to comment.
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